


Christmas Lights

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Christmas, Community: mcsheplets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When all the city lights go out on Christmas Eve, Rodney struggles to fix them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Lights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ozsaur](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozsaur/gifts).



> Written for **ozsaur** for Fandom Stocking 2012 - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
>  For the McSheplets prompt #137 Silence

Christmas was a time for giving, or so they all said, but Rodney really could have done without the gigantic headache that someone thought would be the perfect accompaniment to his Christmas festivities. He reached up and rubbed a hand across his forehead, groaning as his eyes blurred as they tried to focus on the laptop's screen. He had been at this for hours now, trying to correct the system code that some genius - and he used that term derogatorily - had altered in some inane attempt to light Atlantis up like a Christmas Tree. Instead, it had shorted out all of the lights, plunging the whole city into darkness.

Rodney heard a slight noise behind him and froze.

He hated this. It was creepy as all hell, giving him nightmare visions of hibernating Wraith slowly awakening and creeping through the unlit corridors to steal the life force from the unwary.

"McKay?"

Rodney relaxed when he heard John's familiar voice.

"Hey. You okay, buddy?"

"Yes. Perfectly fine," he replied with more sarcasm than he had intended, and threw an apologetic glance towards John. After all, it was hardly John's fault that some imbecile had killed the city lights.

"Making any headway?"

"Yes... and no."

John reached for Rodney, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Take a break, Rodney. The sight from the balcony outside is so cool."

Rodney huffed. "We don't all have time to spend stargazing, despite some of us being world-renowned astrophysicists. Some of us have a city to light up."

Instead of being annoyed, John grinned. "Come on, Starman. Ten minutes... or twenty."

Rodney let his head sink to his chest in resignation. He wasn't getting a lot done right now anyway, and needed to take a short respite from gazing at lines of code. He let John lead him through the darkened room and corridor towards the closest balcony, their way lit by the flashlight from John's P90.

His steps faltered at that thought, wondering why John had a P90. He didn't usually carry one while in Atlantis unless...

"Rodney?"

Rodney waved a hand and carried on walking. Maybe he wasn't the only one feeling the weight of the darkened city on his shoulders having lived too long in the living nightmare of the Pegasus galaxy. Ahead of him the balcony door slid open and Rodney stepped out into glorious starlight. Seeing the stars filling the sky above him brought back those early memories of forced camping trips with his parents and Jeannie that he had tolerated purely for this moment. It reminded him of all the reasons why he had turned to astrophysics, wanting to unravel the mysteries of the universe - of the stars and galaxies.

Rodney sank down onto the balcony floor, surprised to feel a blanket beneath him rather than the cool Ancient flooring. He lay back. placing his hands behind his head and stared up, welcoming the warmth along his side as John joined him.

"So easy to forget how beautiful it is out here," he whispered into the silence on the balcony, trying to determine the constellations viewed by the Ancients from this same balcony ten thousand years ago.

He glanced sideways, smiling softly at John and sighed as warm lips covered his in the sweetest kiss.

It was if the kiss awakened his mind and, suddenly, he knew what he had to do to fix the lights. John must have seen the excited gleam in his eyes as he pulled back with a grin.

"I know how to fix this. Five minutes... tops."

"It's almost midnight on Christmas Eve."

Rodney rushed back and found the piece of code that his strained eyes had missed but his subconscious had seen. He saw what the imbecile had been trying to achieve and made the necessary code changes, setting a timer while making a city-wide request for everyone to step out onto the balconies or piers.

Grabbing John's hand, he dragged him through the corridors to the nearest transporter, sending them to the pier that afforded them the best view of the city. When he reached the best position, he stopped and turned John, wrapping an arm around him and leaning in as John's arm wrapped around his waist in turn.

At exactly midnight, the first lights flickered on in a beautiful blue, another set joined in... green, then red and orange and violet. With a blaze, a silvery-white light burst from the top of the main control tower, and Rodney felt John's arm tighten around him as others around them expressed their delight.

"Merry Christmas, John," he whispered, and John answered with a kiss.

END


End file.
